Advertisement

Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. EST  |  TV: Sportsnet One  |  Radio: TSN1050  |  Location: Toronto, ON

This weekend’s preseason back-to-back for the Toronto Maple Leafs will precede the first major round of cuts.

That means it’s the last chance for some of the players in camp to leave a good final impression or extend their stay by a few days.


Storylines to Watch

  • Do we get more clarity on the battle at the backup goaltending position? This is going to be a preseason-long evaluation, but Curtis McElhinney and Garret Sparks were both sharp in their exhibition debuts versus Ottawa on Tuesday. Sparks faced the heavier workload and stopped 22 of 22 shots in the final 30 minutes of game one. The pair will split the 60 minutes again tonight.
  • Does Josh Leivo continue his momentum? With strong camp scrimmage showings and a bright performance in the first game of preseason on Nazem Kadri’s wing, he’s finally earned some praise in the media from Mike Babcock, albeit tempered praise that includes qualifiers about his need to work hard every day.
  • Can Pierre Engvall continue to impress? His productive AHL stint to end the year in 2017-18 was followed up by strong showings in camp scrimmages — earning him a nod from Babcock — and a good performance in Ottawa on Wednesday. He’s on his way to convincing the coaching staff he should be on their radar as a potential callup option at some point this season.
  • How does Semyon Der-Arguchintsev fare in his NHL preseason debut? 18 years old as of just last week, he’s been the revelation at camp among the new crop of Leafs prospects with his standout vision, skill set and courage to compete in his first ever camp/rookie tournament despite being the youngest and smallest on the ice. He’ll likely get some power play looks tonight as well, where he’s looked dangerous. This camp has been a nice confidence booster for SDA and a good preseason showing would be something to take with him back to Peterborough for the OHL season.
  • Does the Rasmus SandinTimothy Liljegren pairing continue to impress? For a pairing that’s a combined age of 38, they were poised and moved the puck well vs. Ottawa on Wednesday. While he obviously needs to add strength, Sandin looked far from out of place in the pro game with his intelligence, ability to read the forecheck, and ability to leverage what size he’s got.
  • Oh, and John Tavares is in the lineup.

Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines

Forwards

Zach Hyman – John Tavares – Mitch Marner
Josh Leivo – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown
Pierre Engvall – Colin Greening – Josh Jooris
Chris Mueller – Der Arguchintsev – Dmytro Timashov

Defensemen

Morgan Rielly – Ron Hainsey
Martin Marincin – Connor Carrick
Rasmus Sandin – Timothy Liljegren

Goaltenders

Curtis McElhinney
Garret Sparks


Buffalo Sabres Projected Lines

Forwards

Alex Nylander – Casey Mittelstadt – Tage Thompson
Zegmus Girgensons – Vladimir Sobotka – Andrew Oglevie
C.J. Smith – Kevin Porter – Nick Baptiste
Victor Olofsson – Rasmus Asplund – Eric Cornel

Defensemen

Brendan Guhle – Casey Nelson
Lawrence Pilut – Matt Tennyson
Brandon Hickey – Zach Redmond

Goaltenders

Linus Ullmark
Adam Wilcox


Game Day Quotes

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev on making his preseason debut:

I am not going to expect too much of myself. Just keep it simple, especially on the first shift. Just play d-zone right and have fun; not expect a lot, but still try to play my game.

Mike Babcock on SDA:

He’s a good kid; a really good kid. He feels good about himself. He’s got a smile on every day and he wants to get better. He’ll be in for an eye opener tonight, but that is part of life. He’s a good kid. He’s a long way from the NHL and he’s got to get to work on his body and on his game. Those things don’t happen overnight. Those things happen over time. But he does have an enthusiam and an infectious personality. He is an energy giver, and I think that is important for teams to have.

He’s got a confidence and an infectious personality. He is not out here hiding. He wants to be out here and thinks he should be dressed. That’s a big part of it, too. He’s got [Chris Mueller] to look after him. I talked to Muells about that, so he’s got to take some faceoffs and play d-zone. That’s the way it is.

Babcock on how life changes after your first child, as is the case now with Jake Gardiner:

The first thing that happens is you realize you don’t get any sleep. The other thing you realize is that, when you got married, it was just dating with rings on. When you have your first child, now it changes life for the better forever. But that first little while — she’s a grind, to say the least.

I asked him this morning, “Has your wife kicked you in the middle of the back yet and said, ‘Go get the baby, I’m sleeping’?” He said, “No, the mother in laws are in town right now.” He is doing alright.


Toronto Maple Leafs Roster vs. Sabres - 2018 Preseason Game #3

PlayerPositionJersey #Camp StatusWaiver Status
FORWARDS
John TavaresC91NHL Lock
Mitch Marner RW16NHL Lock
Zach HymanLW11NHL Lock
Nazem KadriC43NHL Lock
Connor BrownRW28NHL Lock
Josh LeivoLW32BubbleEligible
Josh JoorisRW36BubbleEligible
Chris MuellerRW49AHL VeteranEligible
Dmytro TimashovLW/RW41AHL ProspectExempt
Semyon Der-ArguchintsevC85OHL ProspectExempt
Rich CluneLW39AHL VeteranAHL Contract
Pierre EngvallLW47AHL ProspectExempt
Colin GreeningC/W38AHL VeteranAHL Contract
DEFENSEMEN
Morgan RiellyLD44NHL Lock
Ron HainseyRD2NHL Lock
Martin MarincinLD52BubbleEligible
Andrew NielsenLD56AHL ProspectExempt
Rasmus SandinLD78AHL/OHL ProspectExempt
Connor CarrickRD8BubbleEligible
Jordan SubbanRD46AHL ProspectEligible
Timothy LiljegrenRD37AHL ProspectExempt
GOALTENDERS
Curtis McElhinneyG35BubbleEligible
Garret SparksG40BubbleEligible